


oh, Heart

by turtlenecksandsweaters



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: (sort of), Canon Non-Binary Character, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, Not Beta Read, Other, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, no beta we die like men, set during/after babylonia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:54:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24846397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turtlenecksandsweaters/pseuds/turtlenecksandsweaters
Summary: and then it falls, and then I fall, and then I know.
Relationships: Quetzalcoatl | Rider/Ishtar | Archer
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	oh, Heart

The first time Ishtar kisses them, it is the night before the battle with Tiamat and Mash and their master have both gone to bed in hope of getting prospects out of the last vestiges of the night before dawn. Ishtar is still on the stone wall surrounding Uruk when Quetzalcoatl finds her, having bid Fujimaru a good night and watched the final festivities die down.

Today very well would be their last day together as allies, and no one knew that better than Quetzalcoatl. Which is why they find themself on that stone pathway devoid of all flame and fire, a smile rising on their lips as they find their fellow God of Venus leaning against the short wall and seats themself next to her. In this body, Quetzalcoatl knows they are much taller than the Mesopotamian Goddess, but sitting down like this their heights almost match. Ishtar acknowledges them quietly, red gaze shifting from the stars to the foreign God only momentarily.

“I would be saying goodbye, if I were certain this was to be our last meeting,” Quetzalcoatl smiles. Only certain not because of foresight like the king or allsight like that pesky mage, but purely out of confidence in their own being as deities and belief in their master, who was sure to save the world.

Ishtar hums, closing her eyes. “Once Fujimaru leaves, your contract will be up and you’ll return to the throne,” Quetzalcoatl only nods, unsure of where the Goddess intended to go with such an obvious statement. The brunette opens her eyes now, looking out over the stone wall a few feet opposite of them, though what she sees is uncertain, “I’m going to remain here until the first dynasty of Uruk ends, I do have all those pretty jewels I can’t let go to waste, now can I?”

And despite not really having any idea what jewels Ishtar is talking about, Quetzalcoatl finds their lips turning up in a grin at the statement. Yes, of course she would stay among her people and believers for a time, as Mesopotamia’s matriarchal God, that seemed only logical. Even when Tiamat was Mesopotamia’s primordial mother Goddess, so was Ishtar, in some way neither of them could fully explain.

“For someone such as yourself, you do care about humans more than you let on,” Quetzalcoatl points out, because they have always loved humans, and in a way, they believed that their destroying Uruk would save them from a far worse fate at the hands of Tiamat’s children — but Ishtar is different, if only in the fact she is not at her truest form, but Quetzalcoatl _likes_ this version of her, and they were hard pressed to get along with most Gods that weren’t their brothers. Even that was a stretch. 

Instead of her usual squawk of annoyance or general flippancy, Ishtar lets out a laugh and only hides the tail-end of it behind nimble fingers. 

“My base personality is much different than the one I am now, I think I like it,” she admits, suddenly bashful and twisting a strand of brown-almost-black hair in her hands, “I wouldn’t have given a second thought to truly _helping_ Fujimaru were I not brought here like this, though for some reason I cannot find that I dislike it.”

Quetzalcoatl thinks they can understand that, as a God that changed host appearance so often, they had more than once been a man, and more than once been a woman, as they were now. With each body came a different set of experiences and rules, in a way. So yes, they suppose, they do understand what Ishtar is saying about being different and enjoying it.

Knocking their shoulders together lightly, Quetzalcoatl meets Ishtar’s eyes and looks up at the stars, drawing the Goddess’ gaze with theirs. Silence abounds, only far-away music and folk-talk befalling their hearing from the cities inhabitants behind them, enjoying the last hours of the night before turning to bed, possibly to sleep but unlikely. Many of them would die tomorrow for a reason they’ve known for months. Quetzalcoatl thinks it is admirable.

They sit like that for at least an hour, shoulder to shoulder and the breeze their only companion besides each other. Quetzalcoatl does not find themself tired, like their venus counterpart next to them, and is content to stand in as her pillow, at least for tonight. 

Quetzalcoatl only looks back down at her when Ishtar lightly tugs at their long hair, but before they can ask what she wants, Ishtar is kissing them all too quickly. Be it the night’s influence or their previous conversation, Ishtar’s kiss is much too short and Quetzalcoatl chases her lips, bringing her back for more with their hands wrapping around her bare waist. The blonde God feels Ishtar smile against their lips, arms coming up to rest on their shoulders for better access when they finally turn towards each other, still slightly awkward against the stone wall.

Though neither of them are fully human, when they part from one another their cheeks are flushed and Ishtar looks almost _shy._ Pushing back just the slightest bit, Quetzalcoatl gives her a curious look. “What was that for?”

Surprisingly, Ishtar’s response is quick. “I do love handsome things,” she explains, the word _love_ not going unnoticed, “it appears I have always preferred blondes.”

Her brows furrow so deep that she looks constipated, and Quetzalcoatl has to laugh. _Love, huh?_ They could work with that, even as Gods from different origins and different beliefs. Quetzalcoatl’s body had once been the sun, and the heat of their skin next to Ishtar’s burns almost as hot. Only they could ever forge that comparison, with their dominion over the sun and venus proving as fact. 

Neither of them say anything more, and Quetzalcoatl allows Ishtar to lean against their chest to sleep, and they hold her securely, watching the stars reflect in crimson pools before the hands of sleep embrace the mortal body the Goddess currently resides within.

They do not see each other after the battle against Tiamat. Fujimaru relays Quetzalcoatl’s message to Merlin, and Ishtar doesn’t need to hear their words to know what they know.

  
  
  


The second time Ishtar kisses them, Quetzalcoatl is returning with Fujimaru from a simple mission and returning to Chaldea. They have only been at the base of operations for about a month now, with no word on any Mesopotamian God being summoned to this current time.

It has been merely hours since their return, and Fujimaru is already on the move again, towards the summoning room and away from her other servants. She carries a handful of tools and gems to be used for the ceremony, and Quetzalcoatl only catches a glimpse of her to wonder who she is trying to summon. They spend most of the day thereafter wandering the halls and only talking briefly to a few other servants. Quetzalcoatl ends up sitting with Mash at one of the largest windows in the building when they both feel a familiar presence and look at each other with wide eyes.

Mash stands first but Quetzalcoatl is quick to follow, their longer legs carrying them much faster to Fujimaru and the newest summons. Their sandals slap the metal of the floor, and only a heartbeat behind is Mash, small heels hitting the ground almost in time with Quetzalcoatl.

The Meso-American God bursts into the room with open arms and a flourish, eyes scanning the room to find a fading gold glow in the center before their vision is filled with tans and white and gold and _red._ Ishtar all but tackles Quetzalcoatl, and with her air-borne constant, she weighs basically nothing as Quetzalcoatl returns the hug and spins them around bodily. Ishtar is grinning, her arms encircled around their neck and Quetzalcoatl can add this moment to the list of times they have felt truly exuberant since arriving here. Mash just barely ducks out of the way of their combined mass, squealing and passing by and out of harm's way to join Fujimaru in the center of the room. Quetzalcoatl only catches a glance at Fujimaru when they slow to a stop with a bundle of god still in their arms, and the ginger girl is smiling. So she _had_ planned this, then?

As far as they knew, no one but themself and Ishtar was aware of their shared feelings, but the curious epiphany is cut short when in the next moment Ishtar is capturing their attention fully with a kiss right on their lips. Ishtar is floating at eye level, hands cupping Quetzalcoatl’s cheeks to steady herself, and it only takes the blonde God a moment to come back to the present to return to affection.

Fujimaru has the audacity to _whistle,_ but Mash, ever the perfect, _adoring_ wing-woman is quick to shush her and occupy her attention elsewhere. Quetzalcoatl has never wanted to hug the demi-servant more. 

When Ishtar finally pulls back, it is only by a few inches, her eyes shining and kissed-pink lips stretched into a grin. Still holding Quetzalcoatl’s face between tan hands and manicured nails, she drops into a standing position to hug the taller god again, “I missed that.”

Quetzalcoatl grins because they had missed _her._

“I _told_ you we would be meeting again.”

  
  
  


The third time, Quetzalcoatl kisses Ishtar. Despite servants having no real need for a bed or room, they all have one to be able to sustain themselves and not steal Fujimaru’s energy when it isn’t necessary, and Quetzalcoatl and Ishtar were hardly ever in their _own_ rooms, always together in one or the other’s or not in a room at all and just wandering.

It is late, and most everyone else is asleep or getting there. Ishtar lays on her stomach on the bed, and Quetzalcoatl traces meaningless patterns on the Goddess’ back, laying on their side next to her. Ishtar’s eyes are closed, but they know she is still awake, responding to questions or offhand remarks made by the blonde god every now and then. Quetzalcoatl is humming a soft tune when they formulate a one-sided conversation in their mind, and speak it aloud.

“I think I love you,” they blurt, for once words failing them. They had once asked Fujimaru for her hand in marriage, and when refused called themself her big-sister. What was so different about this, besides the..feelings behind the words?

Ishtar at first doesn’t move, only opening her eyes to slits before shifting to face Quetzalcoatl fully. Her face is unreadable, but not harsh or mean. Questioning.

“You think,” she starts, leaning completely into Quetzalcoatl’s face and locking their eyes, one hand unthinkingly running through blonde hair and settling on a brown cheek, “or you know?”

Quetzalcoatl exhales deeply, entirely captivated in a sea of red and then they are leaning in, stopping just short of their lips touching, the tips of their noses brushing slightly. They have been sure of many, many things, and as sure as they were that the sun was hot and that Fujimaru’s hair is orange, they are sure they love Ishtar. It is a strange thing, to love a god. To love a god they rightly never would have encountered in any story or world besides this specific one.

“I know,” and they meet in the middle, not any space to be crossed when they finally collide, the sun and venus crashing to form a supermassive black hole, allowing no light or love to escape them. 

Another thing Quetzalcoatl is sure of is that this is one of their favorite feelings. To hold and be held, even by such an unconventional being such as this one beside them. They are contradictions and clashing histories together, but together they are the planets and stars and solar system and Quetzalcoatl is a green dragon flying to Venus again, but not in the wake of any defeat and instead chasing a foreign Goddess across the Milky Way. They are certain they love Ishtar, in the least conventional, oddest way that no human could understand and they aren’t even certain they fully understand it, for once. But it is warm, all consuming, and Ishtar returns it tenfold with just as much heat.

They may be two Gods who would never have met in any other circumstance, but together they are happy.

**Author's Note:**

> i BLASTED through this in about an hour total i think? but here are some notes: both quetzalcoatl and ishtar are poc, quetzalcoatl is non-binary and ishtar is bisexual/doesn’t really have a sexuality i don’t know how to explain it. they are happy and in love and it’s complicated but I LOVE THEM. i have too many babylonia ships aaa  
> comments and kudos much appreciated! :)


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